Monday, November 23, 2015

Turkey Week Begins!

Prominent Turkeys

In the wake of the terror attacks on Paris on November 13, there has been an entirely predictable attempt by American politicians to capitalize on the tragedy. It pains me to admit that conservative Republicans have been as prone to doing this as progressive Democrats. I suppose it is part and parcel of being a politician (or a pundit), but that doesn't make it any less distasteful.

What is revealing (and distressing) is how the progressives are attempting to capitalize.

"I'm killing my party, you say? Do I look like I care?"

Our President cannot be stirred to wrath by terrorist acts themselves, but he has no problem unloading great wrath and furious anger on Republicans who criticize him.

Of course, the sycophantic mainstream press is going along with this nonsense. CNN, for instance, published an idiotic article by nitwit progressive (but I repeat myself) Raul A. Reyes on how Republican opposition to President Obama's plan to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees plays right into ISIS's hands.

Things That Make Me Happy: Lazarus Edition

On October 18, my beloved Kansas City Chiefs lost 16-10 on the road to the Minnesota Vikings, in a game that was even uglier than the score suggests. It was the team's fifth straight loss, and few Chiefs fans could look at the team's 1-5 record and see anything other than a lost season.

All-Pro LB Tamba Hali and the defense harassed Chargers QB Philip Rivers the entire game, and sacked him three times.

How tough was the defense? The Chargers never got closer than the Chiefs 34 yard line the whole game.

The highlight for the defense was All-Pro LB Justin Houston's interception return for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter that made the score 19-3 Chiefs, and put the game out of reach for the Chargers.

Chiefs QB Alex Smith had yet another game free of serious errors. Alex was 20-for-25 for 253 yards, and has now gone seven straight games without throwing an interception.

He is currently on a streak of 253 pass attempts without throwing a pick, a record for the franchise and the best such streak in the NFL this season.

How miraculous a turnaround has this been? If the undefeated New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills tonight in Foxboro, the Chiefs will occupy the sixth and final playoff spot with six games remaining. The Chiefs play four of those six games at Arrowhead Stadium, and the Buffalo Bills (next Sunday's opponent) are the only team with a winning record left on their schedule.

That's enough to allow Chiefs fans to dream a little. What more can a pro football fan ask for at Thanksgiving?

A Simpler, Less Complicated Time

From the delightful comic strip Non Sequitur, by Wiley Miller, which you should read every day, as I do (even though Wiley is a squishy liberal).

Until Next Time...

If you love beautiful voices (especially Irish ones), this week's Music Recommendation is quite an event. Released on November 20, Dark Sky Island is Irish singer-songwriter-instrumentalist Enya's first album in seven years, since 2008's And Winter Came....

How important an event, you ask? Well, Enya has managed to sell tens of millions of records and win four Grammy Awards (plus an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song) while almost never touring or giving live concerts. One listen to her latest, though, and you'll know how she pulls it off. Her voice, and the music, are almost impossibly beautiful. "Enchanting" isn't a word I use often, but it is apt in this case.

Today's send-off is the official music video for "So I Could Find My Way," the album's first single, which was released a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy...

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